What is a PWA? Installing and removing the Telos apps

What is a PWA?

A PWA (progressive web app) is a website that can be installed on your phone, tablet or computer and then behaves like an app. It gets its own icon on your home screen, opens full screen without the browser's address bar, and can send push notifications. You don't download it from the App Store or Google Play. You install it straight from the web page you're already looking at.

An installed PWA is the same Telos you would see in your browser. Installing it just makes it quicker to reach.

Why does Telos use PWAs?

• No app store. There is nothing to search for, no store account needed and no waiting for a store to approve a release.
• Always up to date. When we release an improvement, the installed app picks it up automatically. There are no manual updates to run.
• One version for everyone. iPhone, Android and desktop all use the same app, so what your members see matches what you see.
• Small and quick. A PWA takes up very little storage compared with a typical app.
• Push notifications. Members and trainers can get alerts for new messages and announcements, even when the app isn't open. See Push notifications: setting up and fixing them for details.

Which Telos apps can be installed?

• Client app (for your members) appears on the home screen as TelosGym.
• PT app (for personal trainers) appears as TelosGym PT.
• Stock app (for staff doing stock takes and deliveries) appears as TG Stock.

The staff dashboard is used in a normal browser and is not set up as an installable app.

Installing on an iPhone or iPad

You must use Safari. Other browsers on iPhone, such as Chrome, Firefox and Edge, can't install apps to the home screen. If you're in one of those, copy the address and open it in Safari.

1. Open the app's address in Safari and sign in.
2. Tap the Share icon in Safari's toolbar (usually along the bottom of the screen).
3. Scroll down the share menu if needed and tap Add to Home Screen.
4. Tap Add. The icon now appears on your home screen.

In the client app and the stock app you may also see a banner offering Install app. On an iPhone, tapping it shows these same two steps.

Installing on Android

You should use Chrome.

1. Open the app's address in Chrome and sign in.
2. If a banner appears saying Install TelosGym on your home screen, tap Install app and confirm.
3. If you don't see a banner, tap Chrome's ⋮ menu (top right), then Install app (or Add to Home screen), and confirm.

The app then appears on your home screen and opens full screen.

Installing on a computer

Chrome and Edge show an install icon at the right-hand end of the address bar when a site can be installed. Click it and choose Install. This is optional. Most people use the staff dashboard in a normal browser tab.

About the install banner

The client app and the stock app show the install banner once, on phones that can install them. It appears from your second page in a session, so it doesn't get in the way of signing in.

If you tap Not now, or install the app, the banner is not shown again. You can still install at any time using the steps above.

What to expect from an installed app

• It needs an internet connection. Class times, memberships and payments are always loaded live so they are never out of date. If you have no signal, the app opens but can't show current information.
• It updates itself. Close and reopen the app to pick up a new release.
• Your account and data stay on Telos. Installing doesn't copy anything onto your phone beyond the app itself.

Uninstalling

Removing the app only removes the icon and the app's stored files from your device. Your Telos account, bookings and history are not affected, and you can install it again whenever you like.

iPhone or iPad: press and hold the app icon, tap Remove App, then Delete App.

Android: press and hold the app icon, then tap Uninstall (on some phones Remove) and confirm.

Computer (Chrome or Edge): open the installed app, click the ⋮ menu in its title bar and choose Uninstall. You can also remove it from your computer's list of installed apps.

Troubleshooting

I can't see "Add to Home Screen" on my iPhone. Check you are in Safari and not another browser, and scroll down the share menu, as the option can be below the first row.

There's no install banner and no Install option on Android. Make sure you're using Chrome and the page has finished loading. Use the ⋮ menu method above. If you previously tapped Not now, the banner won't reappear, but the menu option still works.

Push notifications stopped working in the installed app. Remove the app first, clear the site's data, then install it again. Clearing the data while the app is still installed doesn't take effect. The push notifications article has the full steps.